2014 Fantasy Baseball: Is It Time to Hit the Panic Button on Miguel Cabrera

By Bill Pivetz

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

At the beginning of the season, there was no doubt who the top two picks were – Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera. Trout was most likely the No. 1 overall pick in most leagues. Cabrera wasn’t a bad player by any means to have at the No. 2 spot, but things haven’t panned out that way so far.

Many fantasy owners are looking at their lineup, shaking their head at the disappointing Cabrera. However, looking back at this time in 2013, things aren’t much different.

This season, after 15 games, Cabrera is hitting a .220/.292/.356 line with three runs, one home run and seven RBI. At the same time last year, he hit .323/.389/.477 with 13 runs, two home runs and 17 RBI. Cabrera didn’t turn up the heat until the summer. He hit only four home runs in all of April last year.

Cabrera had surgery on his groin that bothered him during the end of the regular season and post season. He said to have made a full recovery and it shows now that he’s hitting the ball with more oomph. It’s only a matter of time before he explodes and racks up some home runs.

There is no reason to trade Cabrera for less than full value. He is still a superstar hitter with the ability to put up 40-100. The only players worth trading Cabrera for is Trout. None of the other players who can hit for power can put up the numbers Cabrera or Trout can.

Keep playing Cabrera like nothing is wrong. It’s way too early into the season to be thinking about trading your first-round pick. He will be sending balls over the fence sooner rather than later. However, if he ends April with just one home run, then it may be time to pull out that panic button.